


A Welcome Distraction

by ScientistSalarian



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Adorkable, Awkward Flirting, Banter, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Awkwardness, Smut, Some angst, Turians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 05:06:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10655532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScientistSalarian/pseuds/ScientistSalarian
Summary: Kandros and Ryder finally have some time alone together and make the most of it by teasing each other because they're dorks and don't know how to flirt properly. Eventually they figure things out and some smut happens





	1. Chapter 1

It was “nighttime” in the Nexus, the bright lights dimmed and the ever present sounds of the bustling Operations Center had fallen silent. It was usually Tiran Kandros’ favorite time to work on APEX reports and other minutia of running the militia but tonight he found himself losing focus on even the simplest tasks. He cursed under his breath as he turned away from the terminal, looking for anything that might be a welcome distraction from the boredom. He looked at the stack of data pads that had piled up on his desk and shook his head. There was no way he had the willpower to tackle that tonight.

He stood up and looked around at nothing in particular. As thrilled as he was for the establishment of successful outposts, he couldn’t help but feel trapped by his responsibilities on the Nexus. He decided to wander the Operations Center in hopes that the walk might clear his mind. As he made his way aimlessly through the Operations Center, he noticed the silhouette someone standing on the balcony where Addison usually stood. The figure was definitely human but definitely not Addison, possibly female, but with the lighting he couldn’t make out any other details than her shoulder length hair. They’d been having trouble with demonstrators again and being understaffed, he assumed one slipped through security undetected. That was the last thing he needed to deal with tonight.

“Hey! You’re not allowed up here.” Kandros barked as he walked briskly towards the shadowy figure before realizing who it was.

“Really? Because I kind of thought I was.” she said jokingly. Sara Ryder turned around slowly with a self-satisfied grin. “You going to arrest the Pathfinder, Kandros?”

“Dammit. Sorry, I didn’t know it was you.” If turians could blush his face would have become a warm shade of pink. “What are you doing up here?” he asked, his tone softening.

“Pretending to be Director Addison.” She said sarcastically. She attempted to mimic Addison’s cold gaze but then devolved into laughter. “Not really though. I’m just…I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go for a walk and then wanted to see what the view was like from up here. You know, without Addison’s judgmental face to make things weird.” she motioned for him to join her “What are you still doing up?”

“Duty calls, as you like to say.” He walked towards her and leaned against the round terminal in the center of the floor. She definitely fit the bill of a welcome distraction. He enjoyed what little time they spent together more than he cared to admit to himself. Now that it was just the two of them alone, a sudden shyness overtook him. He was curious why she wasn’t sleeping, but didn’t want to pry. They stood there quietly for a few minutes before he spoke again. He decided on a generic, “Everything ok?” Despite her joking nature he could see in her eyes that the job of Pathfinder was taking a toll on her.

“I don’t know Kandros. When is the last time we can honestly say things were ‘ok’? My dad is dead and somehow I’m fumbling through this whole Pathfinder thing without fucking up too badly and tarnishing the old man’s legacy? I love my dad but you better believe his ghost would haunt me if he saw I screwed up everything he worked for. Oh, and then Eos. You do realize I had no idea what I was doing when I interfaced with the Remnant monoliths right? I literally go up to each terminal like, ‘Beep boop, hope this doesn’t kill me’.” she laughed wryly “Let’s just hope it doesn’t or we are all screwed. No pressure though right? Nothing quite like being everyone’s last hope. I mean I’ve held my own but I have to say if this was less about mental fortitude and more about useless Blasto trivia I’d probably be doing a bit better.”

“I’ll run that by Tann and see what he thinks,” Kandros replied amused by her ramblings but also worried about her mental health. “And be careful with that Remnant stuff. Don’t want to lose you too.” he said the last part cautiously, unsure of whether he wanted her to know how seriously was concerned about her.

“So, I shouldn’t tell you about how I jumped down a gravity well with no idea where it would lead should I?” she teased. “

“Well, to be honest, I hear that’s not the worst thing that’s happened to you and your crew. From the rumors going around the Nexus, nothing in Andromeda is more dangerous than your driving. And that includes the Archon himself.” He said hoping to provoke a response.

“Ok. Who told you that? And how widespread is this rumor? And I am not even that bad! So I’ve driven off maybe four or five cliffs or six! Possibly seven but who’s counting? And if this is about me plowing through Kett bases, that is my way of intimidating them. It’s a show of force! I’ll drive my vehicle right through your house you lumpy bastards!”

“I should have you in charge of the militia’s psy-ops team” he said facetiously.

“I know that was meant as sarcasm but I think you need me. You haven’t seen true fear until you’ve ended up on your enemies’ roof due to strategic use of thrusters.”

“Now is that fear on the faces of your enemies, or the squad that was unlucky enough to be a part of that maneuver?”

“Probably both.” she admitted, “But my team always comes back alive so something must be working.”

“Are they all in one piece though? Don’t worry, I’ll always keep a strike team at the ready just in case you need rescuing.” He secretly relished being able to get her so flustered.

“Bastard.” she said smiling and she shoved him playfully. “You know that is not that way you should be speaking to the human Pathfinder. Very disrespectful…I think you’re going to have to make it up to me by buying me at least one drink, but probably more due to the seriousness of this infraction.” she was enjoying his dry sense of humor even if it was at her expense. It was nice to see him relax a bit from his usual gruff professional tone.

“I didn’t know those were the official regulations but you probably know better than I do. Besides, I wouldn’t mind sharing a drink with the illustrious human Pathfinder.”

“From now on I expect you to only address me as ‘Your Illustriousness’, Kandros. Perhaps you should bow to me as well.”

“I always did want to watch a tiny human go mad with power. Come on, let’s go the Vortex Your Illustriousness. This power trip can only be improved by the addition of alcohol to your system right?” he said in the most deadpan tone he could muster.

Kandros and Ryder walked side by side towards the tram. He couldn’t help noticing how closely she walked to him. He turned towards her and she smiled at him, this time it was more than just a friendly smile, there was a look of mischief on her face that made him tense up. They stood in silence as the tram took the Docking Bay but Kandros couldn’t help but notice just how closely Ryder stood net to him. She seemed at ease in his presence but he couldn’t help feeling nervous. He didn’t want to make a wrong move and make her feel uncomfortable.

While Sara Ryder hadn’t specifically come to the Operations Center to find Kandros, she would be lying to herself if she hadn’t been hoping she’d find him there. She always made a point of stopping in to see him and although she hated to admit it, she had gotten in the habit of making sure she looked nice when she did which SAM unceremoniously pointed out to her one day. No matter what was going on, Kandros always offered to be there for her if she wanted to ‘talk, or even just to vent’ as he’d told her countless times. She kept wishing she had the courage to take him up on it but knowing how much he always had on his plate, she didn’t want to burden him with anything more. He always seemed so stressed but the fact the he was so willing to drop everything and make time for her made her feel special. She wondered if he had noticed the increasing frequency of her visits or just how thinly veiled the excuses had become to do so. But now here she stood, just a hair’s breath away from him with no one else around to eavesdrop and she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

They exited the tram and walked towards the Vortex. The music at the Vortex was usually loud enough to be heard from almost anywhere on the Docking Bay but right now it was silent. Making their way to the doors Kandros noticed a sign. “Temporarily closed due to drunken brawl. For those who were taking bets, the krogan won of course.” he read aloud. “Well shit.”

“Damn, I would have liked to see that.” she said disappointed. “Well you’re not getting off that easy. You still owe me so you’d better come up with something.” she hoped he had a backup plan because she wasn’t nearly ready for the night to end.

“I do have drinks in my apartment, I don’t know if I have anything that won’t kill you though.” He couldn’t believe he’d just asked her to come over, realizing he had no plan for what to do if he wasn’t in possession of anything other than dextro liquor he began to internally panic.

“Only one way to find out!” she wasn’t going to turn down such an offer regardless of the accommodations. Especially not from him.

What am I thinking? He wondered to himself. I have no idea what I’m doing, this is going to be a disaster. They walked together and reached his apartment but before he could unlock the door Sara blurted out “You know, SAM could probably hack that!”

“Are you…offering to break into my apartment?”

What the fuck is wrong with me she thought to herself. “Hahaha yeah no. Just joking. I wouldn’t do that. And SAM definitely wouldn’t do that.” she could tried to hide her face, flush with embarrassment.

“No, I think I’d like a demonstration of the Pathfinder’s skills at work.” he placed his hand on her shoulder “Also I’d kind of like to know just how bad security is—“

“Aaaaand, I’m in.” she said before he could even finish his thought. “And you forgot to call me the ‘Illustrious Pathfinder’. You’re making a very powerful enemy Kandros.”

“Dammit!” he said shocked at how easily she was able to do that. “Well, come on in, sorry for the lack of furniture… I don’t get to spend much time here so it’s kind of…sparse.” they walked in together and she got her first glimpse of his living quarters. “Sparse” was an understatement.

“How do you even live here? Kandros, what the hell?” inside the apartment was a small table with a single chair. There was a kitchen with the bare essentials, a bathroom and a bed. There was nothing on the walls save for a few small recessed lights. The entire place was immaculate like the day it had been put together.

“Like I said, I haven’t had time. This is the basic Initiative stuff they give you but most people probably spruce it up a bit. I just couldn’t bother.” 

“No I like it. It’s kind of, prison chic.” she teased. “Maybe you’ll start a trend!”

“Thanks, I always hoped my legacy with the Initiative would be defined by my interior decorating abilities.” he replied sarcastically. He pointed to one of the cabinets in the kitchen “If there’s anything you can drink it will be in there.”

She rummaged around until she found a small bottle. “Oh, you are a lucky man Tiran Kandros. This might just make up for your earlier infractions.”

He poured himself a glass of dextro whiskey and proposed a toast “To no longer being on the Illustrious Pathfinder’s bad side.”

“To finding someone that actually fears getting on my bad side.” she laughed and they each took a swig from their respective glasses.

They stood there for a moment contemplating what to do next. Neither of them wanted to make the first move. Looking around his apartment she felt a pang of sadness for the loneliness it personified. She studied Kandros’ face, his posture as he drank. He was always so rigid, as if his whole body was constantly primed to react to the next catastrophe whatever that might be. After surviving those 14 months on the Nexus, she couldn’t blame him though. He had been though utter hell but somehow kept his ever-present air of calm. It was one of the things she admired most about him, his pure tenacity to face the pure chaos head on. Not that he’d ever had a choice.

“Can I ask you something personal?” she inquired cautiously.

“Of course.”

“Do you get lonely here on the Nexus? I know there’s always people around but…is there anyone you’re close to?” She leaned against the kitchen counter and he sat down in the lone chair at the table.

“Yeah. I mean I don’t think about it. Or I try not to. I talk to Kesh sometimes when I need to complain about Tann. She’s fun once you get her going about him. But no, I don’t really have anyone close, I guess.” He hated how he fumbled over talking about things like this. “After the mess, after those 14 months, I got in the habit of getting things done and making that my main focus. My only focus. Like I said, I came out here for adventure but this wasn’t quite the adventure any of us bargained for. I’m just trying to accept that this is how things are we’re making progress thanks in large part to you, but the scourge, the Kett, inhospitable worlds, we have to face these things every day and these threats aren’t just going to vanish. We’re all struggling in our own way to deal with it though. What about you?”

“I have an entire crew and not a moment of privacy and I still feel alone sometimes. Sometimes I just talk to SAM because I like hearing someone’s voice when my crew is asleep. You know, so I don’t think about how the fate of my species and yours, and everyone else’s is in my tiny, barely competent hands.” she said with startling honesty. “Sorry, that was kind of depressing. Look Kandros, I’m doing better than I thought I would but I’m still a person in charge who never asked to be so I’m ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ as humans like to say.. I just try and lighten the mood, joke around, and hope things work out. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared but I can’t let myself be. So much is riding on my ability to have my shit together.”

“You know I do mean it when I say that you can always talk to me. I don’t have so much going on that I can’t handle it.” He wanted so badly to comfort her. He cursed the instinct his turian military training had drilled into him to be professional at all times. More than anything he just wanted to hug her and let her know he was there for her. Just because she was the Pathfinder and he was in charge of the militia shouldn’t keep them from a close friendship at least. He was trying desperately to downplay his feelings, especially now that she was showing such vulnerability.

“I know.” She set her glass down and removed her blue and black leather jacket and scarf, revealing a black tank top with the initiative logo emblazoning the side. Kandros let himself gaze upon her toned arms, the curve of her neck and shoulders, and then up to her lips. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her but quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. Trying desperately not to stare, he took another drink and looked away. She couldn’t help but enjoy the fact that showing even a bit more skin had a noticeable effect on the turian. “So Kandros, will you allow me one more personal question?” She wanted to lighten the mood but also she had some burning curiosities about his personal life.

“I suppose” he answered.

“Has it been more or less than 600 years since you last…” she trailed off giving him a seductive smile.

“Are you asking? Since I last…had…um…” he was flustered. He know damn well what she was asking, he was stalling for time trying to figure out what to say. How the hell had she gotten him so riled up so quickly. He put down his glass, not wanting further intoxication to hamper his judgement. “More than 600 Ryder. It’s been a while.” he said matter of factly, trying to regain his composure.

“Same here. Can’t say I ever thought I’d have a dry spell that lasted for over 600 fucking years.” She bit her lip in what she hoped looked seductive and not stupid. She wasn’t used to pursuing someone so stoic and difficult to read. She hoped her forward nature wasn’t a turn-off for him.

“I don’t think it counts considering we were in stasis for those 600 years. But yeah, even before that it had been…a while.” Perhaps it was liquid courage driving him, but all of a sudden he felt far more bold than before. He tilted his head down to look her in the eye “Is there a reason you’re asking about my nonexistent sex life Ryder?”

“Is there a reason you’re so defensive about it?” she walked towards where he was sitting and he felt his heart start to pound.

“Maybe I don’t like admitting my lack of…experience. Especially to you.”

“Oh? Why is that?” she continued to move closer to him maintaining eye contact as she did. “Would you rather me believe that underneath all that dutiful stoicism is a turian sex god?”

He stared at her completely speechless. She certainly knew how to make his head spin.

Make a move dammit, he cursed to himself. This is either the best idea I’ve ever had in my life or the most awkward. There’s always an airlock in case I fuck this up and need to painlessly die of embarrassment, he thought to himself. He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. “Maybe I am.” he said trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her.

She was shocked but pleased by his sudden change in demeanor. She wrapped her arms around him and settled into his lap. “Well damn Kandros, maybe I was right about you all along. You have any other surprises?” she said coyly.

He enjoyed the feeling of her arms around him, her body pressed against his. They were face to face now. He gazed into her eyes and brushed a stray wisp of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. His heart was still racing as she gently ran her fingers across his left mandible. “I can think of a few.” he said, his voice low and gruff now. He caressed her cheek with one hand and let his thumb pass gently over her lips. A small sigh escaped her, proof that this was what she really wanted. He pulled her in and kissed her gently. Years of watching Earth vids had taught him how humans liked to be kissed, or so he hoped.

She kissed him softly letting her fingers run down the ridges of his neck encouraging him more. She broke off the kiss for a moment to catch her breath before their lips met again. This time it was rougher, more passionate as he let his fingers run through her hair, trailing down her neck and then to her shoulder. The arm that was still wrapped around her waist tightened its grip as their kisses grew more urgent.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you to kiss me like that.” she said so softly he could barely make out the words.

“Me too.” he held her close and kissed her again. “Tell me something. Was this your plan all along? Get me alone and hope I’d figure out the rest?”

“What? Me? I would never!” She was toying with him now. “I do hope you’ve figured out the rest though. I need you Tiran.” It was both a plea and a demand.

He stood up from the chair, cradling her in his arms. “Yeah I think I can figure out the rest.” he muttered under his breath. He carried her to his bedroom and tossed her on the bed and she looked at him with a smug grin. She loved knowing that she had him wound up enough to stop being so cautious and calculated all the time. He stood there admiring the wanton desire written on her face as he unclasped his armor and let it fall to the floor with a thud. He removed the rest of his gear, haphazardly tossing it across the floor. Her eyes were fixated on his body as he revealed everything to her. “You ever been with a turian before?” he asked before joining her on the bed.

“No, have you been with a human before?”

“Nope. You’ll be my first.” His hands slowly crept under her shirt pulling it over her head. He looked at her bra realizing he actually might not actually have any idea what he was doing.

“Can you though?” she teased before unhooking her bra and tossing it aside. He pinned her down on the bed and kissed her lips roughly while softly kneading her right breast. He couldn’t believe just how soft she felt. A sound of approval escaped her lips and he continued exploring her body making sure to be gentle with her. He trailed light kisses down her neck and she sighed. Her hands were slowly making their way across his back, tracing their way up the ridges on his broad shoulders. He loved the way her small slender fingers felt against his rough textured body. “Tiran?” she could barely say his name.

“Yes?”

“Kiss me again.” she begged. He was more than happy to oblige only this time he felt her lips part. Following suit he did the same. Soon their tongues were intertwined and he cupped her face in his hands. When they broke off the kiss she gazed longingly into his eyes. “Damn you. You can’t tell me you’ve never at least kissed a human before.”

“Not before a few minutes ago.” he was enjoying just how much he was driving her wild. He kissed his way down her body again, stopping to suck gently on her left nipple. Her sounds of pleasure mixed with her nails digging into his back encouraged him to continue his ministrations. All of his previous trepidations were dissolved now. He had her and she wanted him and that was all that mattered to him now. He began undoing the buckle on her pants and unzipped them. She lifted her hips off the bed so he could remove the final impediment to having her laid fully bare before him. Before continuing he kissed her once more and whispered softly. “I don’t want to hurt you though ok? Just tell me to stop if you need me to. I just. I want you to enjoy yourself.”

“Of course Tiran.”

He felt it was his turn to tease her a bit after all that she done earlier. He ran his hands up her thighs stopping just inches below where she so desperately needed him. “The way you say my name. It does something to me.” he mused.

“Oh does it Tiran? I hadn’t noticed.” she answered, knowing full well what it did to him.

He pressed his hands against the soft flesh of her inner thighs as he parted her legs and she cursed him through gritted teeth. With that he decided she’d had enough torment and gently ran a finger against her warm, wet opening. He parted her lips and slowly inserted a finger inside her. She moaned as he moved his finger in and out of her. She moved his thumb over her clit and whispered “Right here, just like this.” as she showed him how to pleasure her. Immediately she gasped and moaned with as he continued the movements she taught him. He loved how how responsive she was to his touch, how warm she was, how wet she was, tangible proof of her desire for him. More than anything he loved the way she smelled. He wondered what she tasted like. Removing his hand from between her legs he opened her legs further before tasting her being careful not to let his sharp mandibles dig into her sensitive skin. He started slowly at first unsure of exactly what to do but listened intently for her sounds of approval. When he discovered the perfect amount of pressure and movement of his tongue, he continued until he heard her gasp his name.

“Tiran, I’m going to—“ her voice cut off sharply as he became more insistent. “Tiran!” She cried out. The wave of her orgasm washed over her as he continued. Finally feeling her body regain control she wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed him off of her. She climbed on top of him straddling him. She kissed him enjoying the taste of herself on his lips and then trailed kissed down his body until she reached his erect cock. She gave it a teasing kiss before taking the tip into her mouth, her right hand gripping the shaft.

He let out a low subvocal moan that she could just barely hear. His mandibles flared with anticipation. She slowly worked her mouth and hand into a rhythm that he found pleasurable. It was all he could do not to lose control right there. “Sara.” He said her name once and then again. She wasn’t going to let him have release that quickly though. She straddled him again and positioned herself above his cock.

“How long have you wanted me like this?” she said just barely letting herself touch the tip of his erection. “Don’t think I don’t notice how you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention.”

He tightly gripped her waist with his hands “A long fucking time.” he growled. “And I’m not the only one who’s been known to stare, Sara Ryder.” he said in a mock accusatory tone. He bucked his hips up to meet her and she started to grind against him getting him wet. After what seemed like an eternity for him, she slowly pressed him into her. He was thick but she was accommodating of him. She worked his cock into her wet cunt and she closed her eyes as he went deeper into her. “Are you ok?” he asked, not wanting to hurt her.

“Keep going” she pleaded and he obliged. She had him sheathed to the hilt and soon he was thrusting into her faster and faster. She moaned and cried out for more. He reached up and teased her breasts as he fucked her, encouraged by her moans and sighs. He kept his rhythm steady as he felt her begin to climax once again. He loved watching her face contorted with pleasure. He had wondered what she looked like in the throes of ecstasy when he had allowed himself those kinds of thoughts. Now he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked as she reached her second climax.

They stopped for a moment and he worried that in the heat of the moment that he’d somehow hurt her. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“More than alright.” She sighed. “I don’t think I can feel my toes.”

“Is that normal for human women?” he asked concerned.

“Only if they’re with someone who knows how to please them.” He hadn’t had nearly enough of her yet and her assessment of his performance gave him a boost of confidence. He pushed her off of him and pressed her onto the bed. He entered her again slowly until she reached up, grabbed him by the shoulders and said “Don’t be afraid to be a bit rough with me Tiran. I can handle it.” With that he pinned her arms down on the bed and started fucking her harder than he had before. His cock slammed into her pussy and she cried out “Yes, Tiran. Just like that.” He kept going, enjoying having her helpless beneath him, begging him for more. He continued and she moaned louder. He didn’t care if anyone in the adjacent apartments could hear them, he was completely caught up in how good it felt to be inside her.

She cried out in pleasure. She loved being his. All the stress that was weighing her down melted away as she gave in to him. His body felt so good against hers, the way his hands teased and toyed with her soft flesh made her want him even more. The way he filled her up and moved in and out of her was enough to make her scream. She desperately begged him not to stop and moaned his name over and over. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this good.

“Sara” he moaned. He was close to reaching his breaking point. “Fuck.” he cursed as he could feel himself no longer able to hold back. She gripped his hips and he moaned as he came. He collapsed on the bed beside her and looked into her eyes. She smiled sweetly at him and kissed him. “Sara.” he said again “That was…..” he trailed off. “That was incredible.” He pressed his forehead gently against hers and she looked at him adoringly.

She made her way to the bathroom to clean herself up and Kandros sat up in bed looking off into the distance wondering if everything that had just happened had been real. She returned to his bed and sat next to him resting her head against his shoulder. She hadn’t felt this peaceful since before leaving the Milky Way. Kandros wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his head against the top of hers.

“I was right about you.” she said with a devilish grin. “Turian sex god.”

“I really…You don’t need to call me that. I mean I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” he was back to feeling awkward around her again as the realization hit about what just happened.

“Oh no, I think the only way to kill all the talk of my bad driving is to discreetly let it be known that Tiran Kandros is a turian sex god.” she giggled. Feigning anger he pushed her away from him and she fell over on to the bed. She grabbed him and pulled him down next to her. “In all seriousness though, I really do like you. And I really needed this.” she gazed into his eyes as she spoke.

He sighed and stroked her hair. “I like you too. Probably more than I should.” he admitted. “But I’m in charge of the militia and you’re the Pathfinder and Illustrious or not, you can’t deny that there’s a certain conflict of interest that arises from…this.” He hated to bring it up but he knew better than to ignore the elephant in the room.

“I know.” She said, he voice betraying the sadness she felt thinking about it. “If there’s a way to make it work though. I want to try. If you want to. I don’t know Tiran, I don’t know what to do.”

“Neither do I.” They laid there quietly wondering what to do. She turned around nestling her body against his and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “But we don’t have to decide right now.” he could feel exhaustion finally beginning to overtake him and he desperately hoped that he could fall asleep holding her like this.

“Good.” she murmured as she rested against him. She yawned and pressed her back against his chest. He pulled the covers up over them and she closed her eyes.


	2. Snacks and Mutiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryder and Kandros, both inexperienced with relationships need to have an awkward conversation about relationships

The sound of an alarm roused Kandros and Ryder unceremoniously out of their slumber.

“Ugh, why are mornings so loud?” she whined as Kandros deactivated the alarm.

“Sorry about that. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper.” he confessed. He held her close and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Neither one of them was eager to leave his bed.

“Five more minutes?” she begged.

“Of course.” he was more than happy to oblige.

For what seemed like the shortest five minutes of their lives, they curled up together enjoying each others’ presence. He noticed the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she drifted off once again. He was worried however and couldn’t relax even though he so desperately wanted to. He wondered what she wanted after last night. Was it just a one night stand? Did she want something more regular, did she want casual or serious? When the alarm went off again he reluctantly turned it off and tried to compose the questions in his mind in the least awkward way he could manage.

Sara sat up and rummaged around for her clothes that were strewn about the floor. She fished around in her jacket for a small container of antihistamines. “Can’t ever be too careful.” she said as she downed the pills “Although I probably should have taken these before we did anything but you distracted me.”

“Oh so this is my fault? I seem to remember you were the one who started this whole thing.” he got up and rifled through the bathroom cabinets until he found his own to take wishing he’d had the forethought to take them before things had gotten out of hand.

“Ok, so maybe I started it but you sure as hell finished it. Besides, doesn’t every good romance start with a test of each other’s histamine systems?” She walked over to him and ran her fingers up his arms, tracing over the small spurs on his elbows. He sighed and let himself enjoy her touch. she reached up to the top of his carapace and then let her fingers run gently down his neck. “If you didn’t have work to do, and if I didn’t have SAM in my ear telling me I’m needed on the Tempest, I’d throw you back down on that bed right now Tiran Kandros.” Her hands trailed down his chest and he pulled her in to him, one arm wrapped around her waist. She rested her head against him for a moment before breaking their embrace to dress herself.

Time was running out but so was Kandros’ courage to inquire about her feelings. It just wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have, especially with both of them being in such a rush.

They walked towards the door of his apartment and shared one last kiss. Together they walked in silence until she reached the Tempest airlock.

“Bye Sara.” he said quietly.

“Bye Tiran.” she smiled but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Over a week had passed since that morning and they hadn’t spoken to one another since. Between making first contact wit the Angara and helping the resistance on Voeld and Havarl, Sara Ryder hadn’t had much time for anything else. She couldn’t help but admit that the stress and lack of sleep was starting to eat away at her nerves. She sat up in bed and contemplated sending a message to Kandros. She sat down at her terminal in her quarters and began to type, then backspace everything, and type again. In all honestly, she had no idea what to say to him. They’d barely had time that morning to talk, let alone discuss whatever it was they were. She anxiously clicked her nails against the table before attempting the message again.

“Pathfinder, would you like some help? Your stress levels appear to be elevated.” SAM said interrupting her thoughts.

“I don’t know, do you have any experience dealing with ambiguous interspecies relationships?” she asked sarcastically.

“No, your father did not program me to deal with such things. Perhaps I can learn the protocol from your experiences. If I recall, you’ve had many.” SAM replied.

“That sounded dangerously close to you making a joke at my expense, SAM.” she pretended to be annoyed but was actually quite amused. “I think the protocol is definitely not to wait over week hoping the other person will message you first but that’s what we did so now I just feel weird. SAM, can you think of a legitimate reason for us to go to the Nexus and then I can drop by and be all nonchalant and walk up and go ‘fancy meeting you here’ in a charming voice. And then he will see that I am indeed more charming than awkward and that will dispel all the tension.”

“Do you want me to tell Kallo to plot a course for the Nexus?” SAM inquired.

“NO! We need a good reason or the crew will wonder why we’re wasting time when we have actual things we need to do.” she insisted.

“You stated a reason already, Pathfinder. You wanted to quote ‘drop by and be all nonchalant and walk up and go—“

“ _I know what I said SAM!_ ” she said realizing how embarrassing it sounded once the idea was recited back to her.

“There is no reason to return to the Nexus at this time, Pathfinder. We have more pressing matters that we need to attend to.”

“Dammit SAM.” she stood up from the terminal and shook her head. How hard could one email be? She paced around and thought of potentially witty things to send that would hopefully come off more flirty than desperate. She couldn’t come up with anything and turned off her terminal. She decided to wander around the ship in hopes that it would take her mind off of the whole situation.

“Hey Ryder! Just the person I was looking for. I don’t know if SAM keeps track of this stuff for you but just a heads up, we’re all out of snacks.” Liam told her. “And not just our kind either.”

“Yeah, the dextro supply is getting low too.” Vetra agreed.

“I’ll share my nutrient paste if you’re hungry!” Jaal offered. “I’m sure Lexi can figure out the correct portions for each of you.”

“I don’t know that I’d consider that a snack, Jaal. Chips, candy, popcorn, now those are snacks.” Peebee said while Liam nodded in agreement.

“I do not know what those are. What do they taste like?” he inquired. “I would love to try the food of your people!” Jaal said with excitement. “Where can you find these things?”

“The Nexus should have some Milky Way snacks for us. How about we go there and take the night off in the name of ‘interspecies bonding’.” Ryder said unable to believe that an excuse to return to the Nexus had fallen right in her lap.

“Fantastic!” Jaal roared. “I look forward to this!”

“Wait, are we going right now? Don’t we have more important matters to deal with?” Cora asked in a concerned voice.

“I believe the most pressing matter right now is that my crew is hungry for snacks, and a hungry crew is a whiny crew that will possibly mutiny next time I try to drive the Nomad. So for the sake of everyone’s sanity and my tenuous position of leadership, let’s stop, get some snacks and relax for one night.”

“We have more than enough rations. No one is going hungry. I doubt anyone is going to mutiny over your driving but it _is_ pretty bad.” Cora informed her matter of factly.

“I might mutiny over her driving.” Drack replied in a deadpan tone.

“And I might too! Except I won’t now because our Pathfinder obviously knows what’s best, and what’s best is tasty snacks.” Peebee chimed in.

“Alright.” Cora said giving in to the crew’s hopeful looks.

“We’ll plot a course for the Nexus then.” Ryder said decisively.

“I see you found your reason Pathfinder. That was well executed.” SAM said in Sara’s private channel. She smiled but didn’t answer him. Now she had to come up with a plan for what she was going to say when she was eventually face to face with Kandros.

A few hours later as they docked with the Nexus she suddenly felt a surge of anxiety. _Why didn’t I just email him dammit,_ she cursed to herself _Now things are just going to be weird. Really really weird._

“Alright guys, get whatever you want, don’t get too drunk at the Vortex which is where I know you’ll all end up. I’ll meet you there later. I’ll also have SAM bother us when it’s time to go in case no one follows the not getting too drunk thing.” she said hurriedly.

“Where are you off to in such a rush?” Peebee asked intrigued.

“I’ve got something to take care of first. Strike team mission crap, really boring stuff. You go have fun!” she really hoped her tone was convincing.

“Whatever.” Peebee rolled her eyes and ran off to follow Drack and Vetra.

Sara Ryder took a deep breath as the tram took her to the Operations Center. She remembered how easy it had been to be flirtatious with him the last time they were together. She hated that all her confidence seemed to have dissipated. Now all that was left was nervous energy. She had no idea if he even wanted to see her. She tried to convince herself that it would be fine. Of course it would be fine. She exited the tram and walked apprehensively towards Kandros’ post. As soon as she saw him her heart rate began to climb. He was engrossed in something at the strike team terminal and she hesitated to break his concentration. Finally she uttered a meek, “Hey Kandros.”

“Oh! Ryder!” he stood up and looked at her surprised. “Hey. How…are you.” it was more of a statement than a question. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. I didn’t see the Tempest on the docking schedule.”

“We um….we had a snack related emergency so it was kind of a last minute thing.” she fidgeted nervously with the sleeve of her jacket.

“Snack related emergency?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yeah…only way to stop a potential mutiny.” she replied.

“You’re not actually being serious, right?” he inquired trying not to laugh.

“Oh, I am always serious when it comes to both snacks and mutiny.” she looked up at him trying to gauge his reaction. He seemed amused by the whole situation which gave her a boost of confidence. “Hey look, if you’re not busy I have some… _classified_ mission stuff I’d like to brief you on.” she said hoping he would catch on.

“Of course. I think we can use Kesh’s office for a bit before she returns from her meeting with Tann.” he said in an authoritative tone hoping no one else had picked up on any subtext. They walked together leaving more then enough space between them as compensation for the electrifying tension they both felt. When they reached Kesh’s office, Kandros closed the door behind him.

“So…” she started. “Remember that time we had sex and then never acknowledged it for over a week and then ignored each other almost entirely with the exception of a few strike team debriefs?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. She barely got the words out before devolving into laughter. Now that she said it out loud the whole situation just seemed so ridiculous.

“Spirits Sara!” he said although he couldn’t help but laugh at her description of the past week.

“Ugh sorry. Tact isn’t my strong suit. I didn’t mean to make things even weirder.”

“No, that was a perfectly accurate description of how things happened. We’re like a bad romance vid aren’t we? I’m sorry Sara, I should have messaged you or something. Time just kept passing and I lost my nerve.” he said ashamed that he let the uncertainty keep him from speaking to her. He found it difficult to make eye contact as he spoke.

“It’s ok Tiran. I literally wrote and deleted over 17 emails to you so I’m just as bad.” she admitted. “I guess I didn’t really know what to say.”

“Neither did I.” he finally looked up at her. “That night was, well it was the best night I’ve had in a very long time. Maybe ever.” he began, “Something about you, I don’t know, you’re different somehow.” he wanted to say more but he stopped himself. She sat down on Kesh’s desk and Kandros leaned against the door. “Come on, don’t you have a snarky quip to make this less uncomfortable?” he asked hopefully.

“Nope, I think I used up my last one. It’s been a really long day.” she sighed.

“I’m disappointed, you know I count on you for that, Sara. That’s the key to this whole thing. We get awkward, then you joke around or say something shockingly blunt, and I remember that you’re just as bad as I am with this stuff and that makes me less self-conscious.” Kandros’ teasing put her at ease.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll come up with something. Usually at the most inopportune moment too.”

“It’s endearing.” he admitted.

“Thank you.” she blushed at the compliment. “Look Tiran, I had an amazing time with you and I think the reason why I couldn’t figure out what to say to you is that I didn’t want to come on too strong or something. Like I said, my timing is horrible. All joking aside though, can I be completely honest with you about this?”

“Of course.”

“I literally can’t sleep at night because I think about how badly I want you again. Then I feel awkward because I know SAM is in my brain and he’s probably pretty tired of the constant sexual fantasies. And I do mean constant. About you. And let me tell you, they are…detailed fantasies. But couldn’t decide if telling you that was sexy or obsessive and creepy.” she looked him in the eye as she spoke to try to gauge his reaction.

“Definitely the first option. So, what exactly was I doing to you in those fantasies?” His curiosity was definitely piqued.

“Tiran, I can’t tell you now, you might get ideas and I don’t think we can risk Kesh walking in on us. Besides as hot as it would be to have you fuck me on this desk, which is definitely up there on my list of fantasies, friends don’t bang on friends’ office furniture without permission.” she took on a joking tone but she had that look in her eye that betrayed her desire. That look drove him wild.

“I’m sure we can find some unclaimed office furniture in storage somewhere.” he walked slowly over to the desk where she was still perched, stopping right in front of her. “You’re good at distracting me from what we really need to talk about so how about I just say what I need to say before I lose whatever courage I’ve built up. I like you a lot, but I’m not that experienced with this sort of thing so I have no idea what I want. All I know is I don’t want that night to be a one time thing. I don’t care right now if this is serious or not. I just want you.” he decided it was time to take control of the situation.

“Look, I want you too. I want you badly. I haven’t really had many…second nights with people.” she confessed.

“Really?” he found it hard to believe that anyone could be satisfied with just one night with her.

“Yeah, to be honest, I don’t have much experience with anything that’s not just a one night stand. I’ve had a couple short term partners here and there but nothing serious. Maybe that’s why I never let myself get too attached to people. Before we left for Andromeda I freaked out and I just kind of, slept with whoever was available. I had no idea if we would even make it here alive you know. I guess I dealt with that fear by partying constantly and having as much sex as possible and trying to make the most of the only guaranteed life I had left. It was fun, don’t get me wrong; but you…you made me feel special. I haven’t had that in a long time. I can’t remember the last time I was with someone who I actually felt a real connection with. I think that’s why I was so nervous to say anything. I didn’t want to fuck that up.” she dropped her usual playful tone and spoke earnestly.

“I’m glad I could make you feel that way.” he sat down next to her on the desk and she rested her head against his chest. “I guess I’ve had a pretty similar history. You know turians sometimes like to blow off steam when we’ve got down time during or mandatory military service. It’s not an emotional thing. I mean it can be, and for some it probably is, but it never was for me. It didn’t happen often but when it did, they never stayed the night or anything. We just took care of each other’s needs and went back to work. It’s not a bad thing. I definitely enjoyed myself, but with you it was different. I felt like you wanted _me_ , more than just wanting sex to pass the time or distract from stress. It felt good to be wanted like that. To be wanted _personally._ ” his heart was racing. He wasn’t used to speaking about such private things with such candor. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she rested against him. “I’ve never done relationships. Never had the opportunity I guess. I don’t know if I’m ready for that but I don’t want you to think I don’t care about you either because I do. So what do you call it when you’re not ready for something serious, but you only want that one person?” he spoke in a hushed anxious tone.

"The recipe for disaster?" She teased. He pulled her in close as she let one arm snake around his waist while her other arm rested in his lap “Tiran, whatever that’s called, it sounds perfect. And for the record, I’m not seeing anyone else. Only you.” she whispered. They sat together on the desk holding each other close until they realized there was a finite amount of time they could be alone before Kesh returned. “Kiss me. Before we have to leave” she implored.

He picked her up off the desk and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He ran his hands through her hair and gazed into her eyes. She let her fingers graze over the spikes on top of his head and closed her eyes as they kissed each other gently. He reveled in just how much he loved her soft and warm mouth against his. He also loved the way her legs gripped his body tighter as she kissed him with more urgency.“We should get out of here before Kesh gets back.” he said gruffly as he slowly lowered her back down until her feet touched the floor.

“Can you skip out on work for an hour or so? My entire crew is here on the Nexus, so we can have some privacy in my quarters on the Tempest if you want.” she suggested.

“I think they can manage without me. Besides, I can’t turn down an offer like that.” he responded as they swiftly exited Kesh’s office. They walked side by side but tried to maintain an air of professionalism as they made their way through the bustling Nexus Operations Center.

“Hey Kandros, you’ve got an urgent message at your terminal. APEX business.” a voice called out to him as they walked past.

“Dammit.” he cursed under his breath. “I’ll take care of it.” he answered, rolling his eyes. Turning back to Sara he said quietly. “I’ll meet you after I’ve taken care of this.”

She gave him a flirtatious grin and nodded. “You’d better. And don’t make me wait too long.” 

“I won’t.” he answered as he watched her leave to return to the Tempest. “I definitely won’t.”

 


	3. Philistine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryder and Kandros have some time to discuss the merits of elcor poetry readings and be naked together. This is the last purely fluffy/smutty chapter before things get more serious.

Tiran Kandros had made it back to her as quickly as he could without arousing suspicions as to where he had to be in such a hurry. “Miss me?” he asked as he took his first few steps onto the Tempest with Sara Ryder at the lead. 

“Longingly; All days are nights to see till I see thee, With a sense of yearning; and nights bright days when dreams do show thee to me.” Sara replied in her best elcor imitation.

“I…what…?” 

“What? Too soon for elcor Shakespeare?” she mused as she took his hand and led him to her quarters.

“I think it will always be too soon for elcor Shakespeare.” he replied flatly.

“Philistine!” she cried with mock offense. 

“Why do you even know all of that offhand?” 

“Because elcor poetry readings are an art form, Tiran. I mean, everyone’s seen elcor Hamlet, but the sonnet readings are the elcor’s true gift to human culture. If you can’t appreciate the nuance and raw emotion, we might have a real problem.” she quipped.

“Right…something tells me it’s going to be less of a problem than you think.” he said confidently as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in to kiss her. He wanted to savor every moment he had with her knowing that their time together was limited. Deep down, he knew it was wrong to take time away from work just to have time alone with her but he didn’t care. At this moment, having her to himself was all that mattered.

She gazed up at him surprised, “Alright, you’ve made your point.” Sara Ryder took his hand and led him to her quarters and onto to her bed. She didn’t want to wait any longer to have him again. She missed him more than she ever imagined she would. “So Tiran…what are you going to do with me?” she asked seductively.

“Your ship, Pathfinder. I follow your orders.” he said with a hint of mischief in his voice. 

“Oh really? Well, I guess my first order is for you to take all that armor off.” she said trying her best to sound authoritative. He was more than happy to comply. He slowly removed each piece of armor striding across the room to carefully place the pieces in a corner by her personal terminal. Her eyes never left his body. She didn’t know why but something about him was so incredibly irresistible to her. He couldn’t help but drink in her gaze. No one had ever looked at him the way she was looking at him in that moment. He noticed how her eyes followed him as he made his way back to her. Humans had such expressive faces, the obvious desire in her eyes made him feel both intensely flattered but also slightly vulnerable. He couldn’t believe that the sight of his body alone was enough to illicit such a reaction, especially from someone who wasn’t turian.

“My next order is,” she stopped for a moment as she found herself at a loss for words as she set her gaze upon him, completely distracted. “I want you to undress me.” she could barely get the words out as he stood in front of her completely bare. He slipped his hands under her shirt, letting his fingertips tease her as he pulled it up over her head. He stopped for a moment to touch her shoulder and brush his hand gently over the top of her breasts. He unclasped her bra and slid it down her arms until it fell to the floor. He knelt down on the floor in front of her and undid her pants, gently tugging on them until they hit the floor. He stood up and held out his hand for her to take to steady herself as she stepped out of her pants and underwear. His hands gravitated towards her hips running up the gentle curve of her waist eventually reaching behind her to trail his hands down over her firm behind. “Tiran?”

“Hm?” 

She reached out to touch his chest softly before grabbing him by the neck to bring his face closer to hers. Her eyes narrowed as she made her final demand, “Make me yours, Tiran.”

He didn’t need to hear anything else. He picked her up with one arm and kissed her roughly before tossing her on the bed. He straddled her and let his hands run over every inch of her body. As he touched her he let his tongue tease the base of her neck. She let out a sigh and a soft moan of pleasure. She ran her fingertips over his plates and then between them. She continued her exploration of his body until her hands found themselves between his legs. He pressed her down on the bed and remembered her orders. “You know, it’s kind of hard to make you mine when you already are.” he said gruffly as he pressed his erection into her wet pussy. She closed her eyes and he took her deeper until he filled her. 

“Damn you.” she responded breathlessly as she wrapped her legs around him. 

He stopped for a moment to kiss her tenderly. She parted her lips so his tongue could enter and he began once again to take her, this time slower until gradually increasing the pace. She cried out his name, breaking their kiss. He kept thrusting deep into her and she cried out his name once more and then over and over again until she came. “Don’t stop.” she begged even after the waves of her orgasm had passed. He ran his hands up over her stomach and then over her breasts and up to her neck. She felt her heart race as he wrapped one arm around her waist resting his hand firmly against the small of her back. 

Suddenly, he pulled her up on top of him so she could ride him. She lifted her hips positioning herself over his hard cock and slowly lowered herself onto him. She gripped his carapace as she started to fuck him hard. He let both hands run up and down her body, gently grazing her nipples as she continued to take him roughly. His mandibles flared as he let out a subvocal moan. She couldn’t hear it but she could see just how good she was making him feel. She kept going until she reached her orgasm once again. He gripped her hips tightly as she came, encouraging her to continue. He kept going until he too was in the throes of pleasure. When he had finished he laid down next to her and kissed her shoulder and then took her hand and gently brushed his mouth over her palm. His other hand reached up to her hair letting his nails gently massage her scalp. She closed her eyes for a moment as her head rolled back in pure bliss. 

He pulled the covers over themselves and began to stroke her back. She hummed a sound of approval. “I hope that wasn’t over too soon.” he said concerned.

“It was perfect, you were perfect. I think the only thing we were missing though was some elcor narration to set the mood.” she teased. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than good sex to sell me on elcor theatre.” he replied.

“Just ‘good’? Am I losing my touch already?” she asked folding her arms trying her best to look angry at him.

“You were alright.” he said, egging her on as he pulled her onto his chest. She pretended to try to struggle away from his grasp. The play fighting escalated with her reaching for his arm and him pinning her down to the bed as she flailed around wildly trying to gain the upper hand. She finally shoved him to the side throwing him off balance. Thinking she had him beat, she clambered on top of him and tried to push his arms down onto to the bed. He caught her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder and stood up on the bed and she helplessly tried to escape his grasp before settling into his arms. “You were incredible, Sara. Which is good because you’re horrible at hand to hand combat.” he was enjoying having her completely compromised. 

“How do you know I’m not just letting you win?” she asked indignantly. “And it’s not a fair fight when you’re almost twice as tall as me!”

“And here come the excuses. Typical human arrogance.” he said feigning disapproval. 

“Also you served in the turian military. I only had some very basic combat training and than went into stasis for 600 years before using any of it. These are not excuses, these are cold, hard facts, Tiran. This was not a fair fight at all! ” she complained.

“Mmmhmm.” he still had her over his shoulder. “I don’t think three seconds even counts as a fight my dear.” He gently set her back down on the bed and kissed her before she could curse at him for his smugness. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his mandible and sighed as she settled into him. She was draped across his body as he sat with his back against the headboard. She nibbled at the softer skin on the side of his neck before resting her against against him. He began to stroke her back and she smiled adoringly at him. He traced his thumb along her jawline and down her chin. 

“You’re a bastard.” she said plainly while grinning up at him.

“And you’re a sore loser. We all have our faults though.” he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and kissed her. “But, you make me happy so I don’t care.” he murmured. 

“Me too.” she agreed. He held her tighter and nuzzled the top of her head with his forehead. 

“It’s just nice…to have this. You know, I don’t think I was ever quite the same after those 14 months. The uprising, the uncertainty, the assumption that we might just be the only ones who made it. I think it changed me a bit. Maybe more than a bit. I feel like I’ve got a bit of a rougher exterior now. I had to harden myself to everything so I wouldn’t be crushed by the weight of it all.” he didn’t realize just how much he’d had bottled up over all this time. He fidgeted nervously before continuing, “I know you found the debris from Ark Natannus. I don’t think I’ll ever feel truly at ease until I know what happened to my people. I think about them every day and it eats at me. I hate that all this time they might just be dying out there and I haven’t been able to do anything to save them.” 

“We’ll find them. I promise.” she said looking up at him. “I’m not going to stop until we know what happened to all of them. Turian, salarian, asari, every single ark will be found and we will save as many people as we can.” Her tone was earnest and determined. 

“Well, if there’s anyone I trust to find them all, it’s you. Despite me completely besting you a few minutes ago, you’ve proven that you’re actually pretty fierce in battle. You know…I wouldn’t mind seeing that for myself sometime.” he said contemplating what she would look like in full armor, engaging the kett in battle. “What can I say, I’ve always had a weakness for a woman who can handle a gun.” 

“If they ever let you off this station, I’m sure we could find a kett base to storm together, or a roekarr stronghold perhaps. Perhaps that could be our first proper date.” she said stroking his chest.

“Well now, there’s idea.” he said losing himself to the thought of fighting alongside her. He lifted her onto his lap so she was face to face, straddling him. “I know we have to get back but I want you one more time. Who knows how long it will be until we have time alone again.” 

“The thought of me gunning down our enemies get you all hot and bothered, Tiran?” 

“Yeah actually, it did. But we’ll have to save that for another time.” he said realizing just how long he’d been gone. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled in close. He squeezed her shoulder gently and nuzzled the top of her head. She sighed knowing it was time to leave and assess just how much trouble everyone had gotten into during their brief shore leave. She sat up and smiled at him as she kissed each mandible before retreating to find her clothes. She got dressed first and then proceeded to help Kandros with his armor. He picked her up one last time to kiss her deeply before departing from the Tempest. 

“You’d better message me this time.” she warned playfully.

“Same to you.” he responded.

“Oh I’m about to get extremely drunk with my crew and you’re probably going to receive some very interesting messages in a few hours. If you’re lucky they’ll contain nude pictures. If you’re really lucky they’ll actually be in focus.” 

“I look forward to the potential blackmail material either way.” he teased. 

“Take care of yourself, Tiran.” she said with a warm smile. “I need you in good shape for whenever I get to see you again.”

“Oh I will, I wouldn’t want to disappoint the illustrious Pathfinder.” they said their goodbyes and exchanged a few hurried kisses before parting ways.

Sara quickly made her way to the Vortex. When she stepped through the doors she was immediately spotted by Peebee. “Pathfinderrrrr Saraaaaa Ryderrrrr is here!” she said loudly slurring her words. “Wheeeeeere have youuuuu been?” She got up in Sara’s face with an accusatory look. “WE HAVE—“ she hiccuped and had to collect her thoughts again “We have per…pr…procured! Yes! We have procured the snacks!” Vetra grabbed Peebee by the shoulder guiding her to sit back down in the booth. 

“You should probably not make any sudden movements.” she said making sure Peebee didn’t topple over as she lunged over the table to show Sara the bag of snack foods. “Her and Liam thought they could keep up the pace with Drack. I thought about warning them not to but then I decided on enjoying some free entertainment.” Vetra whispered to Sara.

“So what exactly have I missed?” she asked Vetra concerned. 

“Well about an hour ago, Liam passed out over there. Lexi’s been keeping watch over him and drinking a glass of wine slower than any creature I’ve ever seen.” she pointed to a booth in the corner. “And there,” she said pointing to Gil and Drack “is where Gil is taking advantage of Drack being just tipsy enough to believe he can finally win a game of poker if he plays long enough. Jaal has been watching and I think he has become very fond of Earth cereal, hence the empty boxes piled around him. He is very drunk and very full of food so we’ll see how that all plays out later. Suvi went to the lab to hang out with the scientists and discuss which rocks are the tastiest or something, and Cora is chatting up that guy over there and I’m not about to get in the way of that. Kallo is wandering around because he got sick of the loud music and Liam trying to drunkenly touch the…things…on the top of his head. I’m more drunk than I think I am and wondering what exactly you’ve been up to.” Vetra explained carefully, trying not to let on just how much she’d had to drink.

“I was just taking care of some things.” she said nonchalantly. 

“Bullshit. I know you’ve been up to something. I spent long enough trying to keep my sister out of trouble that I know all the telltale signs of someone hiding something juicy. As your self-proclaimed best friend, I want to know what it is.” Vetra threw her arm around Sara’s shoulder and Sara laughed. 

“Alright, but first I need a drink and second I need a promise that you won’t tell anyone.” 

“Done!” Vetra said excitedly as she went to the bar and procured two unidentifiable drinks. “So…what’s the deal?” she asked as quietly as the thundering music would allow. Peebee wandered over to watch the poker game leaving Vetra and Sar alone in the booth.

“Um…well…Like, a week ago…me and um…” she stopped and downed her entire drink before continuing. “Ok, so me and Kandros hooked up and it was amazing and I made you all leave the Tempest so he and I could bang in my quarters.” she blurted out. “I didn’t want you guys to know because I’m supposed to be in charge and make good decisions but I just really wanted sex with a really handsome turian and I hope you can understand.”

Vetra laughed and Sara looked at her confused “First of all, yes I do. And you have good taste in turians. Second of all, the only people that would actually care are Tann because he’s nosy and Addison because she’s…Addison. Kallo probably would only be annoyed that you made him take a night off just so you could get laid. The rest of us appreciate your priorities and how much it benefits our desire to get drunk and see just how much cereal an angara can eat.”

“So what you’re saying is that I’m making this into a way bigger deal than I should be?” she asked hopefully.

“Relax, the worst that will happen is that Gil and I will tease you mercilessly. Liam probably will too. I can’t guarantee that Peebee and Drack won’t join in either.” Vetra laughed at the horrified look on Sara’s face. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them anything. Your business is yours. I gotta ask though, Kandros always seemed to straight-laced. How did you get him to loosen up?” 

“I have my ways.” Sara responded as she led Vetra to the bar to get another drink. “Ugh, I think I might really like him or something.” 

“Let it be known that on this day, romance in Andromeda was not only alive but thriving. The human Pathfinder has declared she ‘might really like him or something’ after making a disgusted noise. Poets will write about such sentiments with tears in their eyes.” Vetra couldn’t stop herself “No, please continue. I want to live vicariously through this heartfelt romance.”

“As my self-proclaimed best friend I will allow you to make fun of me and my inability make feelings happen if you promise to get me drunk enough that I forget this entire conversation.”

“I think we have an agreement, Ryder. Now let’s go watch Drack lose his last credits to Gil. Also we should probably cut Jaal off from both the booze and the cereal before it’s too late. Which it definitely already is.”


	4. Is Your Refrigerator Running?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably the only mostly angsty chapter I'll write. Ryder has trouble dealing with the death of her father and the worry over her brother being in a coma and looks to Kandros for comfort. No smut this chapter but I promise I will return to my wanton ways next chapter.

“Pathfinder, you have a new message at your private terminal.” SAM said as Sara Ryder walked down the length of the Tempest’s bridge. She nodded in acknowledgement before realizing that the gesture was unnecessary. Usually she greeted everyone warmly and stopped to chat for a bit, but after a particularly grueling day on Kadara she didn’t have the energy. She waved as she passed by Liam and Jaal on the way to her cabin but said nothing. When she reached her quarters she tossed her jacket on the floor and made a sound of pure exhaustion.

“Do you know what I really miss SAM?” she asked knowing that he could probably read her thoughts anyway.

“What is it, Pathfinder?”

“I miss bubble baths. Nice warm bubble baths. I know you’ve never had one because that’s bad for your circuits, also where the hell would we get a tub big enough to fit all of SAM node? The point is that I really want a bubble bath because I’m tired and stressed and feeling shitty. Just saying, it’s hard to be sad when you’re surrounded by bubbles.”

“I see.” SAM responded. “I can’t find anything that would be useful in creating a bubble bath in any of our inventories, Pathfinder. I don’t believe it was considered a necessity.” 

“And that’s why the Initiative was doomed from the very start.” she said sarcastically. She sat down at her terminal to check her messages. Her mood instantly improved when she saw she had mail from Kandros.

Sara, I’m doing strike team training for the next week on Eos. If you happen to get the chance, it would be great to have the Pathfinder join us to boost our teams’ morale. Also having you around would boost my morale. Don’t know if that sounds pathetic or sweet. I should probably delete that but I won’t, in the off chance you find it charming. Let me know either way. About the training and my skills at sending flirtatious emails. I have a feeling the latter could use some work. See you soon. -Kandros 

“He’s cute isn’t he?” she said aloud.

“Is that question addressed to me, Pathfinder?” SAM asked.

“Sorry, I was talking to myself. The answer is yes though. He is really cute.” she smiled as she opened a second email from Kandros.

I just realized you never call me by my last name but I signed my last message “Kandros”. I’m really overthinking this. -Tiran

Sara couldn’t keep herself from laughing. She was amused by how flustered he could still be over her, especially after how things had gone the last two times they were together. Since then they’d exchanged a few messages here and there but they hadn’t had much time to chat. She was glad to have another excuse to go see him outside of the stifling environment of the Nexus. She began typing a reply to his messages.

Dear Tiran,   
You’re lucky you corrected yourself in that last email or I would have been most offended! How dare you forget that I call you by your first name! Just kidding. Anyway, we will absolutely have time to join you on Eos. It will be fun to see you in action if you know what I mean. Also I think you should definitely practice sending flirtatious emails more often. Can’t hurt to hone that skill! And don’t worry, your first message was plenty charming. I can’t wait to see you. -Sara

She sent the message and sat for a moment before heading off to bed where she proceeded to lie awake for the next few hours reading whatever was available on her omnitool. 

“Pathfinder, you haven’t addressed your insomnia with Dr. T’Pero yet.” SAM said to her. It was a common reminder as of late and he knew the response she’d give him.

“I’m fine SAM. Don’t worry about me.” she said blowing him off. Eventually she drifted off for a couple restless hours of sleep. Her dreams, as of late, were filled with the last images of her father on Habitat 7 and the one conversation she’d been able to have with her brother Scott while he was in a coma. No matter how hard she tried to distract herself from those thoughts, they invaded her dreams, night after night. She knew SAM was right to be worried but the last thing she wanted to do was deal with the stress of all of that on top of her duties as Pathfinder. 

***

Sara Ryder awoke with a splitting headache but also a sense of anticipation towards seeing Kandros again. She prepped the team on what the plan was and set a course for Eos. They were scheduled to land right before nightfall. When they arrived, Ryder was nearly asleep in the hangar bay. Vetra roused her out of her almost-slumber and whispered “Don’t think I don’t know why we’re really here, Ryder”

“We are here to help with Strike Team training!” she said smiling. “It’s my duty as Pathfinder to help out with stuff like that. I mean I think it is.”

“Uh-huh. Is it also your duty as Pathfinder to come up with excuses to see the handsome militia leader?” Vetra was reveling in needling Ryder about her budding relationship.

“This is legitimate Initiative business, Vetra! How dare you even suggest such a thing.” she giggled knowing Vetra could see right through her. 

“Of course it is.” Vetra said facetiously. “You’re really adorable, Ryder.”

Sara smiled and gathered everyone up. They exited the Tempest’s airlock and there to greet them was Kandros and a group of Strike Team trainees. She had to stop herself from immediately throwing her arms around him. She wanted to reach out and touch him so badly but she knew this wasn’t the time or the place. He quickly introduced everyone before dismissing them with the excuse that he wanted to discuss training exercises with the Pathfinder in private. Vetra gave Ryder a knowing look before joining the others to explore Prodromos, leaving Kandros and Ryder alone.

“Training exercises. That was smooth.” she chirped at him cheerfully. 

“Thanks.” he responded before wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her in close. He kissed her gently and she let out a contented sigh. “Well, you know this planet better than I do. Where should we go where we won’t be bothered?” he asked.

“How much do you trust my driving?” she asked already knowing the answer.

“Less than zero based off of the rumors, why?” 

“Because there’s somewhere interesting I’ll take you to if you’re brave enough to trust your life in my hands.” 

“If you get me killed Sara Ryder, I will haunt you in whatever way humans are most terrified of.” he warned as they entered the Nomad. She began to drive out towards the open desert away from the settlement. For a while neither of them spoke as he admired the view. The sunset was casting a breath-taking mix of pale orange and pink light across the sandy cliffs. After having been stuck in the Nexus for so long, seeing open sky gave him a renewed sense of purpose. 

“I can’t believe this is all real.” he commented as they continued their journey. “Might not be the ‘golden worlds’ we were promised but you can’t complain with a view like this.” Sara nodded in agreement. “Prodromos is thriving too. I think part of me feared I’d be stuck on the Nexus forever.” Sara felt her eyes growing heavy as she tried her hardest to concentrate on the uneven uphill terrain. Her lack of sleep the past week was beginning to take a toll on her mental faculties. She took a deep breath and tried to focus her eyes on where she was driving. “Are you ok?” Kandros asked concerned as they began to slow and roll backwards down the hill. 

“What?” she asked before realizing that she’d completely drifted off. “Oh shit!” she yelled as they rolled all the way down the hill and fishtailed into a ditch.

“Sara. Did you just fall asleep at the wheel?” he said exiting the vehicle somewhat shaken.

“I…maybe…? I thought I was still awake.” she hated to admit it. “I’m so sorry.” she murmured. “I haven’t been sleeping much. Honestly I haven’t really been sleeping at all.” 

“What’s going on, Sara?” the worry in his voice was palpable. 

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” she mumbled. “But I should.” She stared off into the horizon avoiding his gaze. She felt ashamed for having put them in such a dangerous situation for the sake of her stubbornness. She could have just asked him to drive or better yet, addressed her insomnia as SAM had asked her to.

“Do you not want to talk about it at all or do you not want to talk about it with me?” he didn’t want to press the issue with she was uncomfortable opening up to him.

“It’s not you, Tiran. I just don’t like to feel like crap around other people is all. I also don’t like feeling like I’m burdening others with my problems. I guess I’d rather just be a smartass and try to make people laugh than be the person that complains.” she already was beginning to feel anxious knowing that if she began to open up now, everything she’d been holding back would come flooding out. 

“You’re allowed to vent. Everyone needs to sometimes. I know it’s tough to open up but if you’re not sleeping, it’s probably worse at this point keeping it all in and letting it weigh on your mind. I’m not going to think any less of you for not being the wise-cracking flirt every moment of the day. As much as I enjoy that side of you, I like you Sara. All of you.” he let his fingers intertwine with hers. “So what’s been keeping you up at night?”

“Besides thinking about you naked?” she teased.

“Besides thinking about me naked.” he answered as he squeezed her hand.

“Alright. Here’s the deal.” she breathed a deep sigh and began to speak. “I don’t really know why my dad chose to save me. Why he chose to make me Pathfinder. It’s fucked up. Should he have left me on Habitat 7? I wonder sometimes.” Kandros opened his mouth to reply but she continued. “My dad was the N7, he was the one that everyone trusted and respected to come out here and get the job done. I was his goofy daughter that partied a bit too much and never took anything seriously. Why did he pick me to be Pathfinder when he had Cora who is the epitome of professionalism and pragmatism? I wonder if I’ll ever stop feeling guilty or if I’ll ever stop playing that scene over and over in my mind of the last few moments where he gave me his helmet. He handed me his life and the fate of the Initiative in a matter of seconds.” 

Tears started to roll down her face and Kandros wrapped his arms around her. She wiped her face and sniffled before speaking again. “But here’s the really fucked up part, Tiran. I managed it. I don’t know how but I’ve managed it. I’ve done a really damn good job if I do say so myself. We made successful first contact, we have settlements on three planets. I took down an entire kett compound with nothing but my biotics, a krogan and a turian by my side. Did you see that big floating fucking thing in the orbit around this planet? I killed that! I defeated that and I should be proud but instead of celebrating these victories…I just…” she stopped again and wiped more tears away. “I just feel like those weren’t my victories to take. Those victories should have belonged to my dad. I should have been able to share them with my brother. We should have been in this together like we always talked about before we left. We were going to do all of this as a family. Why was I the one that got to wake up and not Scott? Why was I the one that got to make it off Habitat 7 and not my dad?” she sighed and buried her face in her hands.

“Sara. I…” he trailed off. He held her and kissed the top of her head and then the back of her hand. He brushed the tears off of her cheeks before he finally managed to think of something to say. “Survivor’s guilt is a hell of a thing.” 

“It sure is.” she nodded. There was a certain weariness about her. The culmination of months of bottled emotions and lost sleep were evident in her tone and on her face. They sat in silence for a long time before he could think of something appropriate to say to try to make her feel better. His heart ached watching her cry but more so knowing that she had been holding back all that pain for all this time. He stroked her hair and watched her as she lost herself to contemplation of all the “what ifs” that she had pushed away for so long.

“I don’t know where to begin. I’m not good at this sort of thing. First of all, losing your father isn’t your fault, and your brother being in a coma isn’t either. Your father made his choice and your brother might still wake up. Don’t ever feel like you didn’t earn what you have though. Just because you didn’t see it in yourself doesn’t mean your father didn’t see your potential. Everything you’ve done, you did with guts and pure determination. You did it all without N7 training too and I think that’s worth mentioning.”

“I suppose I am kind of a badass.” she quipped. “But how do I ever get past the feeling that I don’t deserve this?”

“I ask myself everyday why I got to make it and other turians didn’t. Why was I lucky enough to get to live? When it comes down to it, there’s not really any reason. I know that might not be comforting to hear but I look at it this way, I got to live so I should make the most of it. I get angry about what happened to the others. I get sad that they will never get the chance to live their dream in Andromeda but I’ll do what I can so their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. I guess that’s what keeps me sane. Do I deserve to be here? That’s debatable but I’ll do everything I can so that when I’m gone, people will say it was worth having me here.”

“You’re right Tiran. I can’t change the past but if me being here makes Andromeda better for people then I’m glad I had that chance to make a difference.” Sara nodded her head slowly and composed herself. “I just hope I’m making him proud I guess. It’s hard because everyone is counting on me to be strong and to be a leader and I’m scared they’ll see me as weak if they see me break down like this. Self-doubt isn’t exactly a desired trait for someone in charge.” 

“People do like you though and you’ve earned their trust and their respect. You probably aren’t the same kind of leader that your father would have been but that’s ok. The leader that you are is damn good.” 

“Does it ever go away though? Does the guilt ever go away?” she wondered through clouded eyes.

“Honestly, it fades but it probably never goes away forever. Some days are better than others. You joke around as a coping mechanism and I stay painfully stoic. We both deal with it in different ways but neither of us will ever be the same.” he paused for a moment, “I miss home.” he said “No one in particular, it’s more the familiarity. I think about all the places I’ll never get to go again. People I used to see all the time, not even friends but people like bartenders or shopkeepers or that one person you always seem to run into on the street. Those are comforts we don’t have anymore, Sara so I guess we just have to try extra hard to make this place feel like home. We fought to carve out our little place in Andromeda so now it’s up to us what we do with it.”

“Maybe that’s what’s been weighing so heavily. I came with my family, they were my home. Without them, Andromeda feels empty. It certainly doesn’t feel like home, that’s for sure.”

“Were you close with your father?” Kandros asked.

“We were, in our own way. He and I are a lot alike. We’d both rather deflect than be emotional. He was the type who never said ‘I love you’ but was there when you needed advice or if you needed help with something. I’m not going to say I was never angry that he wasn’t around much but I always knew he was only a call away. I used to prank call him all the time when I was a kid, maybe six or seven years old. Sometimes Scott joined in but I was really dedicated to the idea. I liked messing with him because he was so serious all the time. Eventually he started prank calling me back. No one really ever got to see that side of him but he was hilarious when you got him going.” she sighed “He’d hate that I told that story. Can you imagine big bad Alec Ryder calling his kid asking if their refrigerator is running?” she said as laughter overtook her.

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s one of the oldest prank calls on Earth. Someone calls pretending to be a repairman and asks ‘Is your refrigerator running?’ usually the person will say ‘yes’ and then you respond with ‘Then you better go catch it!’ When you’re a kid that shit just blows your mind.” 

Kandros looked at her with mild amusement. “That might just be the most ridiculous human thing I’ve ever heard.” he said as he leaned in to kiss her. “I’m glad you got to have that though. Ridiculous things make for the best memories.”

“They really do.” she agreed and looked up at him and kissed him deeply. 

“How are you feeling now, Sara?” he wondered.

“Better. Not all the way of course but it was good to get all that out. Thank you Tiran. This really meant a lot to me. Especially since I was coming her under the guise of ‘boosting your morale’ and then I show up and almost get you killed and then cry for a while. I think my ‘morale booting’ needs work.” 

“You trusted me with all of that. That’s enough of a morale boost on its own.” Kandros helped her up and placed her in the passenger seat of the Nomad. He walked around to the driver’s side and closed the door. 

She settled in and asked “Where are we going?”

“Give me the nav point to wherever you were going to take us before your driving nearly killed us.” his tone was warm and playful now as he tried to cheer her up. She sent him the coordinates and he began to drive.

“Would you believe me if I said that my driving is actually less scary with me falling asleep at the wheel?” 

“You’re horrible, I believe it.” he said shaking his head. They drove now with dusk falling over the desert planet. She relaxed and watched the terrain go by. “Spirits…..” Kandros exclaimed as they pulled up toothier destination. “What is this place?”

“It’s the kett facility I told you about. Well…former kett facility. Come on, I’ll show you something.” they exited the Nomad and she took his hand and led him through the vast structure. 

“This place is massive. You really took this place down with only you, Drack and Vetra?” he asked shocked. “Maybe I really do need you to train our strike teams.”

“It wasn’t easy but we did it.” she led him to an elevator. When the doors closed she took his hands into hers and looked into his eyes. “Thank you for everything tonight. I’m the luckiest human in Andromeda” she said sincerely. The doors opened and they stepped out onto the observation deck. “Here we are.” she proclaimed.

“Sara. This is. This is beautiful.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed a view like that. She stood there next to him beaming with pride. “And you’re welcome. You know I’m always here for you.” They stood side-by-side with their arms around each others’ waists. 

“Me too.” she rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there for a long time just enjoying each others’ presence and the beautiful view of their new home world.

As they stood there he began to feel his heart rate beginning to rise. He wanted desperately to tell her how he was feeling. The infrequency of their time together made him feel a sense of urgency and the beautiful view seemed like the perfect setting. After allowing herself to be so vulnerable with him, he felt even more strongly that this was the time to be honest with her. “Sara?” he asked. “I hope this isn’t the wrong time to say this but there’s something I need to get off my chest and I’m scared if I wait, I’ll lose my nerve to say it.” He felt his whole body tensing up as he willed himself to continue.

“What is it?” she asked perplexed. 

“I think I’m losing my mind a bit, I barely know you.” he said shaking his head in disbelief that he was finally going to tell her. He turned towards her to gaze upon her face, smudged with makeup from crying, her hair a tousled mess. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her roughly. “Dammit Sara, I think I might be falling for you.”


	5. You've Ruined Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings are discussed, Kandros once again proves he is a turian sex god, trash talk is had and fluff is...fluffed?

_Shit, why the hell did I say that?_ Kandros immediately thought to himself. _What the hell do I do now? What if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I just ruined everything?_ His mind was racing and he began to panic. He silently begged her to say something, anything to interrupt his train of thought. He studied her face trying to gauge her reaction to his confession.

 

“Tiran I—” she was caught off guard and now she didn’t quite know what to say. 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m not used to feeling this way about someone, let alone telling someone about it so I’m just…” he trailed off as he took a step towards her to caress the side of her face. “This is new territory for me.” she placed her hand over his and looked up at him. His gaze was warm and affectionate. “Seeing you like that earlier, knowing that you trusted me with that kind of vulnerability, it did something to me. It made me realize that I want to keep being that person for you and that maybe, I want you to be that person for me.” his voice was deep and ragged as though the words themselves were covered in barbs.

 

“I want to be that person for you, Tiran. I’ve never had anything serious before though and I just really don’t want to fuck it up. Not only because I don’t want to get hurt but I don’t think I could live with myself if I inadvertently did something to hurt you.” she pressed her body against his and let her fingers intertwine with his. “I have a habit of always saying the wrong things, you know?”

 

“I’ve got thick turian skin, Sara. I think I can handle it.” he squeezed her hand. “Would you be happy though with a turian? You wouldn’t miss being with a human?”

 

“We’ve already had better sex than I’ve ever had with another human, I don’t know if I could go back anyway. I think you’ve ruined me, Tiran.” she rested her head against his chest. “Do you think you could be happy with a squishy human?”

 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” he sighed and shook his head “To be honest I think you’ve ruined me for turians the same way I’ve ruined you for humans.”

 

She stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down to press her forehead against his. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her. He felt his chest begin to constrict as he continued to gently rub his forehead against hers. “I never get to do that enough.” she cooed at him “You’re always kissing me but I can never reach your forehead to do that unless we’re in bed together.”

 

“I guess we’ll have to spend more time in bed together then.” he advised.

 

“When we finally have enough outposts operational, and we’ve taken care of the Archon, I’m not letting you out of bed for at least a week. Pathfinder’s orders.”

 

“I really am starting to enjoy your orders.” he replied.

 

He shifted his weight and began to fidget and she could tell he was still a bit uneasy. She asked him softly, “Have you ever fallen for someone before, Tiran? Or am I the first?”

 

“I—“ she studied the way his mandibles flared, the way he scratched the back of his neck so he had an excuse to avert his gaze from her eyes. “No. I mean I don’t think so. Whatever it is I feel for you I haven’t felt for another person. I guess that’s why I think this is that.” He stumbled around the words as though they were obstacles trying to trip him up. “Have you?”

 

“Well, when I was 16 I really liked this one guy. I thought it was love but then I realized he just wore a really awesome leather jacket and it made me think he was really cool. Turns out without the jacket I didn’t really have much interest in him, so that’s how I figured it wasn’t love.” she rolled her eyes remembering her ridiculous childhood crush. “But no, I don’t think I ever have, not in any real sense. I was more of a one and done kind of girl. We’d meet, we’d bang, we’d never see each other again. It seemed exciting to me that way. I didn’t really entertain the thought of falling in love.” she stopped again trying to choose her next words thoughtfully. “But Tiran, our first night together, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay with you in bed. But, I figured I was just being…overly needy maybe? Then the next time we were together, we just had so much fun, I didn’t want any emotional bullshit to get in the way of that.” she began to twirl the end of her hair around her finger nervously. “The truth is though, I miss you terribly when you’re not around. My heart also does this stupid fluttery thing whenever I get a message from you. I think about you when I wake up and I think about you when I go to bed and I think about you sometimes in between that too.”

 

“And how much am I usually wearing when you have those thoughts?” he asked her with a lower tone in his voice that sent a shiver up her spine.

 

“Depends on if I’m alone and if I have enough time to touch myself.” she shot back flirtatiously. Kandros looked stunned by her forwardness.

 

“Is that so?” he was ruminating over the thought of her getting off to him. He felt his armor grow uncomfortably tighter and he cursed. “Spirits…”

 

“It’s more than just sex for me though. I want you to know that. What you did for me tonight, listening to me, holding me while I cried, just being there for me, it means so much to me. You have me. All of me. Not just my body, you have my mind and my heart and should you desire it, my entire collection of elcor poetry readings.” she kissed him and he let his tongue tease her lips. She gently nibbled on it before allowing him in. Her exhaustion from before all of a sudden took a backseat to her desire for him. She needed him and he knew it. She broke off their kiss and hurriedly removed her clothes. “Just because this is more than just sex doesn’t mean I don’t still want you every time I’m near you though.”

 

“You did call me a turian sex god once.” he replied in a cocky tone. He let out a deep subvocal growl that he knew was just barely audible to her. She saw the way it vibrated his mandibles and how he tilted his head downwards towards her. He reached out and brushed her hair off of her shoulder. Then he let his hands tease her neck and then her breasts. He let the palms of his hands run down her chest, teasing her erect nipples. A small sound escaped her lips as he cupped her breasts in both hands kneading the soft skin. Sara bit her lip as he took her right nipple into his mouth and sucked on it ever so gently. She cried out his name and let her fingers wander across the textured skin at the base of his neck. He took her left nipple between his thumb and forefinger and gently applied pressure, eliciting another moan of pleasure. When he felt she’d had enough he trailed light kisses down the rest of her body, stopping just between her legs. “Hmmm. I wonder…” he mused.

 

“What is it?” she asked breathlessly. He was on his knees in front of her and he spoke in a particularly velvety tone. “It’s just…something that works on turian women, but I think it might work on human women as well.” He spread her lips just enough to expose her clit and he began to lick and suck on the small bud. As he sucked, he let out a subvocal hum in the back of his throat that began to vibrate her clit as he teased her. She let out a sharp gasp as the new sensation traveled down her legs as well. She gripped the spikes on the top of his head and spread her legs wider. It was difficult to stay standing as he continued focusing his attention on her clit. The vibrations were inaudible to her human ears but she could feel them throughout her body and more strongly as he probed her clit with his tongue. She cried out something unintelligible and he stopped for a moment to look up at her.

 

“Well, I guess that does work on human women.” he took on a self-satisfied tone now. As long as he kept doing _that_ she didn’t give a damn what tone he used. “Want me to keep going?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

 

“Please.” she begged. He complied with her wishes and returned to her swollen clit. He loved the way she tasted, she way her grip on the back of his head tightened when she was getting close to orgasm. He continued pleasuring her until her moans grew louder. She was nearly ready to scream as she came. She called his name over and over again until she nearly collapsed on top of him. He picked her up bridal style and laid her in his lap as he sat down.

 

“We should really find some place more suitable to this sort of thing. I don’t think kett compounds were really built for interspecies sexual encounters.” He held her in his lap and she stroked his mandible lovingly.

 

“I want you now though.” she whined.

 

“I doubt this hard floor would be comfortable for either of us” he warned.

 

“Then pick me up and fuck me against a wall or something! I don’t care how you do it, I just need you.” he relished in having her beg for him. Kandros removed his armor and picked her up and positioned her so her legs could wrap around his waist. He pressed her against the wall and led her slide down ever so slowly onto his stiff erection. He sighed as he entered her. The sensation was almost too much. He loved just how warm she was pressed against him and how hot she was inside. He began to thrust into her and she gasped in pleasure. He began a slow deep rhythm that she matched by using her legs against his hips for purchase. He was in agony, desperately wanting to cum but he didn’t want to stop fucking her either. Every time she moaned his name though it brought him that much closer to losing control. He licked a bead of sweat off of her neck and began taking her harder. She hummed in approval and he fucked her over and over again pressing her back firmly into the wall. She raked her nails down his back and the sensation made his knees grow weak. He let his teeth graze across her neck being careful not to break the skin. The feeling of his sharp teeth just barely dragging across her neck drive her wild. She gripped him harder and moaned “Tiran, keep going. That feels so good.” she could barely finish her sentence before her orgasm washed over her. “Oh god Tiran, don’t stop.” the way the ridges on his cock rubbed against her g-spot sent waves of pleasure throughout her body.He gripped her ass firmly as he took her rougher. He growled her name and then groaned deeply as he finally had his release.

 

He backed away from the wall and they held onto each other for a few minutes enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in one another. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck and smiled contentedly. He loved how her body relaxed in his arms and he rested his head against hers. He didn’t want to let go of her. Eventually he lowered her down and they got dressed. Neither of them spoke as they left the strange structure and made their way back to the Nomad.

 

“So, Vetra says I have good taste in turians.” Sara told him as the drove off into the pitch dark desert.

 

“And how exactly did this come up?” he asked amused.

 

“Well, I got drunk after you left the Tempest and I told Vetra everything. I mean, nothing too damning but she definitely knows we’re together. She hasn’t told anyone else though. It’s kind of funny though, my best friend and my boyfriend are both turians. What are the odds?” she wondered aloud.

 

“Oh? I’m your boyfriend now?”

 

“I dunno, seems easier than saying you’re my turian that I have feelings for but also want to have sex with all day every day.” she teased.

 

“So, Human Pathfinder Sara Ryder is my girlfriend.” he enjoyed the sound of those words together.

 

“Why do you sound so surprised? You’re the one that started all this.”

 

“No, you’re the one that started all this when you seduced me that first night. How long were you planning that anyway?” his accusations held no malice, only curiosity.

 

“I didn’t plan a thing. I don’t plan. That’s kind of what I do, I just let whatever happens, happen. But when the opportunity presented itself to have you all to myself, I wasn’t going to pass that up.” she explained. “I had wanted you for a long time but you’re always busy and I’m always busy. That felt like my only chance so I took it.”

 

“How long exactly had you wanted me for?” he still found it a bit baffling to think of himself as the object of pursuit for someone.

 

“Honestly, I was attracted to you when we first met. You have a really sexy voice, Tiran. It’s really not fair. Also at the risk of sounding shallow, you’re really really hot. You always had that sense of honor and authority about you and I liked that too. But you also made time for me and never complained when I would just talk about mindless things and you always let me vent to you. Also did I mention that you’re extremely attractive?” she blushed a bit and he shot her a look.

 

“You’re just stroking my ego now aren’t you!” he was convinced she was messing with him.

 

“No! I mean it!” she told him with authority. “I noticed you from the very beginning.” She wished they weren’t in the Nomad in the dark so she could see the look on his face. “I know you think I’m bullshitting but I’m really not.”

 

“Alright, in the interest of honesty then, I started noticing the way you would always stop by and talk to me. Then I realized that I looked forward to seeing the Tempest on the docking schedule because I knew I’d get to see you. Then I told myself I was crazy because you’re the Pathfinder, you probably check in on everyone. You would always sound so sad when you had to leave though. You’d say ‘Duty calls’ and I’d always wonder when the next time is that you’d be by.” Remembering her visits made him feel a bit sentimental. He had almost forgotten how much those few minutes here and there would brighten his day. “I noticed your smile. No matter what was going on you would smile at me and I’d think to myself how pretty you are but I’d try to chase that notion out of my mind. It didn’t seem professional to think like that about you.”

 

“Tiran, that’s really sweet.” she turned to him and in a sultry tone said, “You should stop the Nomad and kiss me.”

 

He did as she asked and they shared a passionate kiss. He then pressed his forehead against hers for a moment. He started up the Nomad and soon they returned to Prodromos. “There’s something else I need to tell you, Sara.” he said hoping he could keep his composure. “No matter what I feel for you, and no matter how strong those feelings are…I’m still going to kick your ass during the training exercises tomorrow.”

 

She shoved him playfully and cursed at him “Fuck off, Tiran. I will make you eat those words you arrogant turian.”

 

“I’d be offended if I didn’t know just how much you like arrogant turians.” he shot back.

 

“I adore you Tiran Kandros, and you’re lucky I do or I would kick your ass right here.” she said defiantly.

 

“I enjoy empty threats. Almost as much as I enjoy having you in bed with me.” he took her by the hand and led her to where he was staying. He unlocked the door and guided her to the bed. She took her clothes off and shimmied under the covers. The nights on Eos were chilly and she beckoned for him to join her in the warmth of the soft bed. He stripped down and snuggled in next to her. He ceased his chiding about his presumed victory and said, “I hope you get some good sleep tonight. I know you need it.” He was still concerned about her mental state after everything she’d told him about earlier.

 

“I think as long as you’re holding me, I’ll sleep just fine.”

 

“If we didn’t have things to do tomorrow I’d hold you as long as you want me to.” he pulled her in close and she closed her eyes.

 

“Someday we won’t have to worry about things like that.” she said as she felt herself falling asleep.

 

“I look forward to that.”

 

“Me too.”


	6. Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dust storm hits Prodromos and Sara and Tiran get cuddly and emotional about some things. This is pretty much all fluff :D

A cruel wind began to howl across the desert where Kandros and his strike team recruits, Ryder, and the Tempest crew, were all running training exercises together. The heat from Eos’ sun was merciless and the wind only served to move the stifling air from one place to another. Kandros had been kind enough to offer everyone a quick break to rehydrate and take a breather. The next gusts of wind that hit picked up sand and dust and flung it across their training ground. No one was too worried until the force of the wind began to make it difficult to stand.

“That sounds like a damn freight train.” Liam shouted over the squalls.

“What is a…freight train?” Jaal asked inquisitively. 

Liam began to explain to Jaal but was interrupted by SAM giving them a warning that a dust storm was imminent. “I thought we fixed the weather here SAM. What the hell?” Sara shot back, annoyed.

“Pathfinder, while you were able to affect the most severe conditions on this planet, regular weather patterns still exist.” SAM explained.

“If this is just ‘regular weather’ I’d hate to see what this place was like before.” Sara rolled her eyes, not that anyone could see them through her helmet and the increasing amount of sand blowing around. “So is it safe to be out here or what?”

“Pathfinder, I would advise that everyone find a safe place to take cover. We have not yet encountered weather like this on Eos so we don’t know the severity or the length of these types of dust storms.” 

“You heard SAM. Guess it’s time to pack up and head out. I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t enjoy the thought of getting trapped in a crazy storm on an alien world.” Sara looked at Kandros and he nodded in agreement. 

Everyone piled into their respective vehicles and began to slowly make their way back to Prodromos. The drive was treacherous since visibility was becoming almost nonexistent the further they went along. The comms were silent as everyone concentrated on keeping from getting too far off the path. Every once in a while SAM would update the group on their progress and safety. As long as they were careful SAM assured them they would be alright. It took nearly an hour to make it back to the settlement. As everyone ran from their vehicles into whatever building was the closest, Kandros stood watch, making sure his strike teams made it inside safely. He also was concerned for Sara. He spotted her from a distance and jogged over to her as quickly as circumstances would allow. He grabbed her hand and put an arm around her waist to steady her from toppling over from a particularly strong gale force wind. She held onto him and he led her back to the building where they had slept the night before. 

They hurried inside and stood in the foyer of the small building realizing they’d tracked half the desert in with them. Sara pulled off her helmet and shook her head for a moment regaining her sense of balance after having to fight her way through the storm. “Hey SAM, let the crew know I’m safe and let me know when everyone is accounted for.” she said out loud. 

“Cora, Suvi, Drack and Lexi are all safely aboard the Tempest with Kallo. Liam, Vetra, Jaal, Peebee and Gil have all found their way to a nearby bar.” 

“Of course they did.” She laughed at how resourceful her crew could be sometimes. While Sara was checking up on the Tempest, Kandros was removing and cleaning each piece of armor. Sara hadn’t been quite so fastidious about hers, she just tossed it in front of the door and sprawled out on the bed. She watched as he made sure to clean every iota of his armor until it looked as it did when he was on the Nexus. She was in awe of his attention to detail if not slightly ashamed of her lack thereof. He hadn’t noticed her staring until he finally finished cleaning the last piece.

“Is that…a Blasto tank top?” he asked incredulously. “That’s what you wear under your armor?”

“It certainly is! My brother actually has one to match.” she confessed. “My father had one too and he proudly wore it to each movie premiere.” Kandros just stood there unable to react to the thought of Alec Ryder and his two kids going to a Blasto movie in matching outfits. He was half convinced she was joking until she continued. “Look, my dad didn’t always have a lot of time but Blasto was our thing. We never missed a midnight premiere. My mom thought it was adorable. Anyone who really knew my dad knows that underneath that badass N7 attitude was a huge fucking dork just like his kids.” she couldn’t help but giggle and Kandros’ mandibles twitched slightly. He found the entire notion amusing as he tried to picture the scene for himself.

“So I guess questionable taste in movies also runs in the family.” he said in a snarky tone. She shot him a look and he walked towards her. “I’m also really lucky you can’t stay mad at me.” he said as he reached a single talon out and touched her cheek gently. “Otherwise I’d be in trouble.”

“You’re an asshole and I hate you” she couldn’t even feign anger however as she just shook her head and smiled. Kandros sat down on the bed against the headboard and pulled her into his lap. She rested the back of her head against his chest and they listened to the whistling of the wind outside. She closed her eyes and let herself bask in the moment. She took his arm and wrapped it tightly around her waist and sighed. “You know, I’ve never been one to want to settle down or anything, but it would be nice to just have more time like this. Where we can just be together and relax.” the words came out softly.

“I was never afforded the luxury of relaxation.” he admitted. “I’ll admit, it’s a nice change of pace once in a while.” he stroked her ponytail that was draped over her shoulder. He was only wearing his undershirt and pants that were under his armor and he could feel the warmth of her body through the thin fabric. There was something comforting about holding her close and sharing the warmth of her skin. 

“If you hadn’t ended up as the leader of the militia, what would you have wanted to do out here? You said you were tired of being a ‘good turian’ but here you are back in a military role. If things calm down with the kett and everything, what would you do?” she’d always wondered what he had given up in the name of serving the Initiative.

“You know, I don’t think I planned that far ahead, which was kind of the point. I just wanted for once in my life to not have everything set out for me predetermined. Maybe I even wanted to be a little selfish, do something just for me. Whatever it was, I just wanted it to be different. Now though, I’d feel guilty if I abandoned by post in the militia.” she couldn’t help but notice the resentment in his voice. 

She wrapped her fingers around his hand and said gently, “You don’t need to abandon the militia entirely but you should have a chance to do what you want to do too, Tiran. You didn’t travel for 600 years just to be unhappy where you’re at.”

“Well I suppose I can’t complain too much.” he leaned her forward and brushed his mouth against her cheek. “I may still be serving in a military role but I also get to kiss the beautiful human Pathfinder whenever I want, so it’s not a bad tradeoff.”

“Do turians even like kissing? I mean I always worried it was a weird thing you guys just put up with if you decide to date a human.”

He took a deep breath and replied, “I don’t know about other turians, but I like kissing. I like kissing you, that is. It’s…a completely different sensation that I’ve never experienced before.” he held her tighter and in an almost whisper said, “Also you’re the only one I’ve ever kissed…so it’s…special. To have something I’ve only ever shared with you.” he still found expressing sentimentality to be difficult. 

She was taken aback by his words. She had never considered the fact that since she was the only human he’d been with, that she had also been his first kiss. She turned around and sat on her knees looking him in his eyes. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed her forehead against his. She lingered there for a moment before kissing the bridge of his nose, and then his mouth. “You are the only one I ever want to kiss like this.” she let her fingers toy with the rough skin at the base of his neck as she kissed him again. She curled her legs under herself and rested the side of her head against his chest. He held her close and once again they sat in silence simply enjoying one another’s company.

It was another hour until the storm began to break. Sara and Tiran had both drifted off to sleep in that time. He laid on his side with half the blankets cradling his body. Nestled in his arms tucked snugly against his body, she slept. He found himself drifting in and out of sleep as he contemplated her questions. What did he want to do in Andromeda? He thought about his role in the militia. His soldiers respected him and he knew he was doing the right thing by serving the Initiative. “The right thing”. Those were the words that stuck in his head and burrowed deeply into his thoughts. No matter what he did, he always found himself doing what was “right”. Then he looked down at Sara. This would be the second night in a row they would share a bed together and all he could think about was how much he longed for a third night, and a forth night and a fifth night. Her irreverence was so foreign after having spent so many years in the turian hierarchy. At the same time he found it to be a breath of fresh air not having to watch what he said and did all the time. There was something entirely refreshing about spending time with someone who didn’t give a damn about ranks or titles or any of the other minutia of military life.

“Are you awake?” she mumbled, derailing his train of thought. 

“Yeah, just thinking about…everything. I guess.” he was still preoccupied and it showed in his voice.

“Like what? ‘Everything’ is an awful lot of things to think about at one time.” she said rather frankly. 

“Well, I was thinking about what you asked. About the future. I don’t know what I want but if you’re a part of it, it’s a good start. I don’t want to have a settled life or anything, that’s not my nature. But I wouldn’t mind having the kind of life where I get to share my bed you every night either.”

“That is a dangerous idea and it must never happen. You and I are nearly incapable of being in a room for any given amount of time without tearing each others’ clothes off. Do you realize this is the first time we’ve shared a bed without having sex? And to be honest, there’s a lot of night left and I’m definitely in the mood so… yeah. We would literally never sleep again.” her playful ribbing made his mandibles flare in amusement. 

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take, Sara.” he responded as he slipped his hand under her shirt. She sat up and lifted her arms so he could remove her tank top. She closed her eyes and kissed him and he slipped a hand beneath the waistband of her shorts. She pulled them off and he stroked her gently over her underwear.

Just then they heard a knock at the door and a familiar voice. “Hey! Ryder! Are you in there?” It was Peebee shouting and knocking on the door. “The storm is all cleared up! You should join us!” Sara panicked trying to find her shirt but Tiran had tossed it far away and he was already at the door ready to let her in. The door opened and Peebee’s gaze fall upon Sara who was in nothing but a sports bra and underwear. “Well, well, well….you certainly got comfortable didn’t you, Ryder.” she said in a sarcastic voice.

Sara located her shirt grabbed her shorts frantically but realized she had no explanation for being almost naked with Kandros except for the truth. She pulled her tank top on over her head and quickly stepped into her shorts and just smiled a wry little grin at Peebee. “Would you believe me if I said my clothes were covered in sand so I had to take them off?” 

“Considering you were in full armor, no. I would not.” there was a smugness to her tone in having accidentally stumbled upon Ryder’s little secret. “Oh don’t worry. I’m going to relish having dirt on you, Pathfinder.” she teased. Ryder shoved her playfully and Kandros just stood there observing, afraid he might somehow make the situation worse if he spoke. “How about this, you two…finish up here and meet the rest of us at the bar. I need to get one or both of you drunk enough to spill some details.” she waved as she left and Sara and Tiran alone once again.

“Do we really need to keep this secret anymore?” Sara asked him once she was sure Peebee was out of earshot. “I mean, it probably won’t be a secret for long anyway if Peebee keeps drinking tonight.” 

“I don’t care who knows as long as no one treats us differently about it. That’s my only concern.” he responded as he grabbed a jacket to wear over his plain blue shirt. “I guess people will find out eventually. I just want you to know that no matter what happens or what anyone says, it will never change how I feel about you.” 

“Of course it won’t. We’re together, Tiran.” she kissed him quickly, “Now let’s go tell my mostly inebriated crew that their Pathfinder is banging the hottest damn turian in the galaxy.” 

If turians had the ability to blush, he would have turned bright red. “I am flattered but there has got to be a better way to say tell them than that.” he rolled his eyes and led her out the door. As they walked to the bar where now the entire crew of the Tempest was stationed, they were surprised to see how little damage had been done to the settlement itself from the storm. There were a few things knocked over and dents in some of the less sturdy buildings but all in all, Prodromos proved itself able to stand up to Eos’ punishment.

The bar was small but it was packed with people and music was playing loudly. “I didn’t even know this was here.” Sara said in awe of how resourceful the settlers had been. First Vortex, now this. “What even is this place?” she asked.

“According to my map, it’s a research facility that doubles as a bar on weekends.” SAM answered. Sara nodded appreciatively. They ordered drinks and made their way over to where her crew was standing. There was nowhere to sit in the small makeshift pub, and drinks were being held in hand, or balanced on whatever furniture hadn’t been moved out of the room. She greeted everyone and attempted to avoid Peebee’s gaze. She also noticed Vetra looking at her inquisitively. Vetra had so far kept her word and hadn’t let slip that she knew what was going on in Ryder’s love life.

“Hey guys, I have um…an announcement to make…” she still wasn’t sure what she was going to say. “I want to propose a toast. To us surviving a freakish dust storm on a planet that I’m not entirely convinced isn’t still trying to kill us.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “I would also like to propose a toast to Tiran Kandros. Who is also my boyfriend now. So yeah…now you all know.” Sara wanted to bury her head in the sand. She had never had the strongest oratory skills, especially when she was nervous.

“Wait a minute. You guys hide out in a house for an hour or two and you’re already in a relationship? Holy shit you move fast, Ryder!” Peebee exclaimed. 

“Or maybe I’m just that good.” Kandros offered. Sara was surprised at his response and nearly spilled her drink. “To be honest though, it’s been going on…a while.” he confessed to Peebee. “Just didn’t want people to know until we were ready to let them know.” 

Sara and the crew started to chat for a bit and Kandros excused himself to go check in with his strike team. Sara couldn’t help but watch as Tiran spoke to the members of his team who had also found their way to the small, loud bar. She liked the way he carried himself with such authority and how his very presence commanded such respect. Sara found herself drifting in and out of the conversation as she observed him. Tiran caught her eye and she locked eyes with him momentarily. She couldn’t help but be distracted anytime he was around. Tiran found an excuse to leave his team and walked back towards her. “See something you like?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“You know, you used to be so tongue-tied around me. Where did all this newfound confidence come from?” she was enjoying his transformation. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear that turned her cheeks a warm shade of pink. She tried to brush off what he’d said but now it was the only thing in her mind. The two of them began to mingle with her crew once again but she was preoccupied by Tiran’s words. When she finally felt like they had stayed long enough, she told her crew that she’d meet them back on the Tempest in the morning and that her and Tiran were going to call it a night. 

She didn’t say a word as they walked back. Tiran was slightly afraid he had said something wrong. Once they were inside and the door shut behind them she pushed him up against the wall and used all her strength to hold him there. He played along knowing fully that he could still overpower her if he tried. “Did you mean it?” she asked forcefully but her tone still didn’t seem malicious.

“Which part of it?” he asked coyly. “Also I did have a bit to drink. Perhaps I don’t remember what it was I said exactly.” She pressed him up against the wall harder and he decided to make his move. Deftly breaking from her grip he lifted her up with one arm and tossed her onto the bed. 

“Let me refresh your memory. I asked you how you became so confident and you said two things. You said that for one, you think you could make me cum so hard that my screams of pleasure would wake all of Prodromos. And you better make good on that promise, Tiran Kandros.” she pulled him on top of her and had her legs tightly wrapped around his waist.

He had a single hand firmly gripping the small of her back as he answered. “I’m a turian of my word, Sara. You know that.” 

“The other thing though.” she looked him in the eye as she spoke, “The second thing you said was that you’re madly in love with me so you don’t care anymore if you sound like a fool. Did you mean that?” her voice had softened. She worried that perhaps he had just said it in the heat of the moment not realizing what it meant for her to hear those words.

Tiran carefully lowered himself until his body was pressed against hers. One hand still cradled the small of her back while the other braced himself against the mattress so he didn’t put too much pressure on her small body. “I meant it, Sara.” he whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you so much, Tiran.” she wrapped her arms around him. They held each other for a moment until Tiran moved to sit beside her on the bed. She leaned against him and sighed. “Remember how you said that I was your first kiss? Well Tiran, you’re my first ‘I love you’. No one had ever said those words to me before. I mean, not counting family of course but you know. No one has ever felt that way about me. I just, wanted to make sure you meant it because hearing those words…it’s special to me. I guess I never thought someone could fall in love with me.” she was on the verge of crying so she stopped herself from talking more and just wrapped her arms around him.

“I mean it Sara. I love you. I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it.” he kissed her deeply and she sighed. 

She whispered the words “I love you too.” and she kissed him over and over again. “You better still keep your promise though. I don’t want to be able to show my face on this planet ever again when you’re done with me.” 

He pinned her down on the bed and made quick work of her clothes. “As you wish Sara Ryder.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who has given kudos and/or commented on here or on Tumblr. This fic has been a labor of love and the fact that so many people are enjoying it makes me happier than anything <3


End file.
